What to Expect at Our Synagogue

What to Expect at Our Synagogue

Head Coverings:

All men and boys are kindly asked to cover their heads, in some way, during services and at any time in our building. This is a traditional sign of humility and respect.

General Attire:

We ask all who visit NCS to dress appropriately for the sanctity of the space. Men are asked to dress in business to business casual attire and women are asked not to wear any revealing clothing including short skirts or exposed shoulders.

Children in services:

Children are always welcome at NCS. No child, or parent on behalf of the child, will ever be asked to leave our sanctuary. We provide childrens' programming on our second floor during services, but also encourage children to stay in services if that is right for them and their family. We understand that children do not always have the patience or ability to sit with decorum for an extended period of time, and shul is no different. We envision our sanctuary like a living room, a place to be with friends and family. Sometimes there may be crying and sometimes there may be joyous laughing, we embrace it all. If you feel you need to step out with a child, please feel free at any time to exit and come back, but no one will ever ask you to step out.

Electronics:

We ask all those who attend NCS for shabbos services to respect those who do observe a strict level of shabbos, by not violating the Shabbos within our building. To that end, we ask that the lights are not turned on or off in our building. Additionally we ask that cell phones do not enter our building on Shabbos and Yom Tov (Jewish Holidays), with the exception of doctors on call, or others with Rabbinic permission. If one must bring a cell phone, we ask that it be in silent mode, and that phone calls are not made or received within the building. If you must take a call, we ask that you step out of the building. In case of emergency, we have a phone in the lobby that will direct dial 911 and provide our address electronically. Additionally we do not permit photography of any kind during Shabbos and Yom Tov (Jewish Holidays), nor do we allow any other external electronics. We kindly ask that you not bring them into our building during those times.

Driving/Parking:

We are a shabbos observant community, with a diverse mix of observance levels among our community. We welcome all levels of observance at NCS. With that acceptance in mind, our parking lot is never closed. We encourage those who are able, to walk on shabbos and yom tov, but we never judge those who cannot.

How we Pray:

As a Traditional Synagogue we pray regularly on Shabbos with the option to be seated mixed (men and women) or to seat separately behind a mechitza allowing for three sections, mixed, men only and women only. We hope in this way that all those who come to NCS will find a comfortable space to daven (pray). Our service is conducted out of the Artscroll RCA Edition Siddur. Most of the service is conducted in the original Hebrew text with no abridgment from traditional prayer, but page numbers are announced frequently. We read the full parsha (Torah portion) each Shabbos. Please always feel free to ask anyone in the service, at any time, for a page number or explanation of what is taking place. We also pray every morning during the week at 7:15am and Sundays at 9:00am. Please see the Zmanim section for more details on regular davening (prayer services).